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Claudio Argento
| image = File:None.jpg | imagewidth = 225px | known aliases = None | roles = ; | place of birth = Lazio, Italy | gender = | year of birth = September 15th, 1943 | year of death = | first appearance = Deep Red (1975) }} Claudio Argento is an Italian film producer born in Lazio, Rome, Italy on September 15th, 1943. He is the second son of producer Salvatore Argento and the younger brother of director Dario Argento. He got his start in the film industry in the late 1960s where he worked as the head of the Press and Publicity department for Cinema International Corporation. Film career Claudio's first work in the horror genre was co-producing the 1975 giallo film Deep Red, directed by brother Dario and executive produced by their father, Salvatore. The film was a murder mystery, which focused on characters involved in some elements of the music industry - a theme that the Argento brothers would follow in several more films. Following Deep Red, Claudio co-produced Suspiria, the first of a three-part film arc called "The Three Mothers". In 1978, Claudio and Dario contacted American filmmaker George Romero, who had already earned a cult status reputation through the popularity of his 1968 movie Night of the Living Dead. Claudio offered to help finance a sequel, which came to be known as Dawn of the Dead. Claudio worked as an associate producer on the film while Dario served as a script consultant. Both received on-screen credit for their contributions. In 1980, Claudio worked on the second part of "The Three Mothers" trilogy, Inferno. Though thematically similar to Suspiria, Inferno did not prove to be as successful for the Argentos and failed at the box office, grossing only ITL 508,000. It had a limited theatrical release in the United States and received generally negative reviews. Part of it's failure could be attributed to numerous problems in trying to find international distribution. The film has since developed a cult following however, and is considered a vital element of the Argento bros' filmography. The next film that Claudio produced was Tenebre, another serial slasher/murder mystery set in Rome. This film represented a return to classic giallo story structure, abandoning the supernatural witchcraft elements used in Suspiria and Inferno. The film had a wide release throughout Italy and Europe, but was not screened in the United States until 1984. Claudio's first major work outside of working with Dario was a surrealist horror film caleld Santa Sangre. The film was directed by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky and was was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Claudio also served as co-writer on the film along with Jodorowsky and Roberto Leoni. In 1990, Claudio served as the executive producer on the anthology horror film Two Evil Eyes. He went on to producer several more films directed by brother Dario including the 1998 feature film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1909 classic The Phantom of the Opera as well as Sleepless and The Card Player. In 2000, Claudio produced Scarlet Diva, an Italian drama, written, directed and starring his niece, Asia Argento. In 2007, Dario Argento finally produced the final arc of his greatly delayed "The Three Mothers" trilogy, Mother of Tears. Claudio worked as a co-producer on the film. Body of work Film Notes & Trivia * Is the uncle of actress/director Asia Argento. External Links * * * Claudio Argento at Wikipedia References Category:1943 births Category:Associate producers